Reviews

I have a hard time describing this short. It's a drama, it's beautifully shot, and the pacing is gentle. The acting is first-rate, even from the child actor, and the writing is pretty solid. Weaver creates a world for this child, a distant, alienated world where the child and audience feel one step away from everyone else. Don't let that interfere with your viewing, though --it's all part of Weaver's masterful direction. The cinematography is outstanding, with shadow, light, and colour combined to create a dreamy world for the boy's home, and bright, almost harsh lighting and colours for the scene at the boy's school. I recommend A Boy's Own Story if you get a chance to see it.

Ed Miller

There are some great things about Dermott's Quest --the opening scene at Dermott's boring job as a security guard for one, but there are moments that, for me, make this a mediocre short. The main problem is the writing. Some of the dialog is pretty bad, and even with someone as talented as Sarah Polley saying a clunker of a line doesn't make the line work. The script doesn't rise above cliche (the trick dream sequence is too obvious to work, for example). The story itself is interesting, and most of the film is enjoyable, so perhaps bringing in another writer or using a story editor could have made this a truly special film. The performances are good, particularly Polley as Gwen and Raoul Bhaneja as the leads, the cinematography is excellent, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments. This short looks really, really good --no information on the DP or the production designer listed here, which is too bad. I look forward to seeing more of Grimur Ardal's work.

This isn't the funniest movie ever made, but it has some charm to it. It's a light, romantic comedy with some great performances in it, plus a moose. The writing is a little flat at times, but the actors make the best of the material. Gene Hackman has a great talent for making weak lines seem stronger than they really are. Ray Romano is better when he's let loose from scripted lines, Maura Tierney plays the smartest (and most realistic) character in the movie. Locals Jessica Holmes and Paul Bates appear as Tierney's and Romano's sidekicks, respectively, but Bates gets more lines and opportunity to shine.

It's impossible to describe this movie. There is a plot, but it doesn't get in the way of the characters. And the characters are both theatrical and real. The Imperial Rome of Nero seems like a large soundstage, but you don't mind that at all. Just see it, keep an open mind, and let it wash over you.

You'll see what I mean.

This movie is one of the worst I've ever seen. I saw it at a house party, where it created great fun due to the heckling from the audience. I think Guy Ritchie gave up while shooting and knew it wasn't that good. Best line: "Here's my refrigerator," although I may not have remembered it correctly due to blood-alcohol levels being as they were.

This is the best of the Pink Panther movies. Peter Sellers was at his best in this, making comedy not with the over-the-top antics of the later Panther capers but with the smaller, character-driven moments. His Clouseau here is a magnificent combination of arrogance, fear of embarrassment, kindness, and stupidity.

The mini-series finally aired here in Canada nearly a month after its U.S. debut.

I am a fan of the original series, mostly because of its campiness, enept attempts at science and technology, and the overwrought dialog delivered by wooden actors. It was a strange mix of cutting edge special effects, T&A, and network family values. But towards the end of the first (and final) season, the show seemed to start finding its feet. The two episodes with Patrick Macnee and the last episode were much, much better than the rushed episodes earlier. Strange to think that any critique of the mini-series must begin with an acknowledgement of the original show, but the same thing will have to be done whenever someone decides to remake Star Wars down the road. The new mini-series is good in its own way. I know fans of the original series are upset by the changes, but this isn't a remake. The science and technology on the mini-series is grounded more in reality than in 70's new age/disco fashion, and it's a grim, gritty show. I like the sets, the CGI is pretty good (we actually see the Vipers leaving their launch tubes from space rather than somewhere on the Galactica, a shot impossible to composite in 1978), and the mood is serious and grim. The writing is better, the acting much better. The characters are rounded out more, and are more realistic, coming across not as two-dimensional TV characters but as fleshed out, backstory-laden people. The biggest mistake, though, is the change of Starbuck from a man to a woman in the mini-series. I like the character, and the actor playing her has a lot of fun, but I think, to balance the seriousness of the other characters better, the character needs to be cocky, cynical, and hedonistic. The new Starbuck is cocky but is as serious and dedicated as Apollo and Adama. The die-hard fans of the original series may yearn for disco boots and mumbo-jumbo jargon, but this is the best new sci-fi project I've seen in a long time.

I first saw Grichische Feigen, translated into The Fruit Is Ripe, on pay TV while at university in the 1980's. As far as soft-core porn goes, this has the requisite nudity, sex, and great scenery you'd expect from a low-budget production. The acting isn't as bad as you'd think, there are no serious gaffes in the production (like mike boom shadows or editing mistakes), but the god-awful dialog takes away any redeeming value this may have had if the director, Siggi Gotz who thankfully doesn't seem to have produced anything since 1988, had had any talent in raising this dreck above the mundane. There's the potential, given the Betty Verges actually possesses screen presence, that Gotz could have made something meanful, but he didn't. Unless you're in the mood for softcore porn, skip this one.